Bowling pin impact curtain with displaceable forward edge



Nov. 5, 1968 T. wrrzKE 3,409,297

BOWLING PIN IMPACT CURTAIN WITH DISPLACEABLE FORWARD EDGE Filed Sept. 6,1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l C i] 7, 4 I Y INVENTOR BY 4m A p-5M Nov. 5, 1968E. T. WITZKE 3,409,297

BOWLING PIN IMPACT CURTAIN WITH DISPLACEABLE FORWARD EDGE Filed Sept. 8,1966 2 Sheets$heet 2 INVENTOR FTNEST I M ITZKE 14 f/arlrey s UnitedStates Patent 3,409,297 BOWLING PIN IMPACT CURTAIN WITH DISPLACEABLEFORWARD EDGE Ernest T. Witzke, Box 228, Rte. 3, Lake Geneva, Wis. 53147Filed Sept. 8, 1966, Ser. No. 577,860 Claims. (Cl. 273-53) Thisinvention relates to a bowling apparatus, and more particularly to amechanism for operating a pin deflecting curtain attached to the frameof an automatic pin setting machine.

In the conventional automatic pin setting machine, a pit cushion ortrigger board is suspended across the pit to stop the forward motion ofthe ball after the ball passes the end of the alley. The impact of theball striking the cushion provides an impulse to start the pin settingcycle and raise the cushion and permit the ball to roll back into therear portion of the pit, where a ball elevator lifts the ball andelevates it to the ball return. In most pin setting machines a heavyflexible curtain extends upwardly and forwardly from the cushion betweenthe kickbacks and serves to deflect pins struck by the ball downwardlyinto the pit. In the conventional machine, the curtain is formed ofrelatively thick rubber or plastic and the forward end of the curtain isattached to a rod suspended from the kickbacks, while the rear end ofthe curtain is secured around a heavy rod provided with end pins whichare removably engaged with sockets formed in the frame of the machine.

Occasion-ally during bowling a pin will fall forwardly on the alley orin the gutters to a location where the pin setting machine will not beable to gather the pin into the pit. In this situation the operator mustreach through the pin setting machine and engage the neck of the pinwith the forked stick and pull the pin back into the pit. In order toreach through the machine, it is necessary, when using the conventionalcurtain construction, for the operator to disengage the locking pins atthe rear end of the curtain and lift the heavy curtain and hold it withone hand while engaging the raised end of the curtain with a hook inorder to maintain the curtain in the raised position. After lifting andhooking the curtain, the operator then must lean beneath the raisedcurtain and retrieve the pin. After retrieving the pin, the curtain isthen disengaged from the hook and the locking pins reengaged with theframe. This operation of lifting the heavy curtain and hooking it in theraised position and returning the curtain to its original position is avery difficult and time consuming operation.

The present invention is directed to a novel mechanism for raising andlowering the pin-deflecting curtain of an automatic pin setting machine.According to the invention, the curtain extends upwardly and forwardlyfrom the pit cushion and the lower or rear end of the curtain isconnected to a transverse support bar which is fixed to the frame of thepin setting machine. The upper or forward end of the curtain isconnected to a transverse support bar and the ends of the support barare attached to guide rods which extend forwardly through guide membersalong the sides of the frame of the machine. The forward ends of theguide rods are connected to springs, and the force of the springs actsagainst the Weight of the curtain to provide a counterbalancing force.When the operator desires to reach in through the machine to retrieve apin, he merely pulls down on the upper or forward end of the curtainwhich moves the forward end of the curtain down to a position parallelto and adjacent the rear end of the curtain. Due to the counterbalancingforce of the springs, the curtain can be moved with very little forceand will be retained in any given position throughout its path ofmovement.

3,409,297 Patented Nov. 5, 1968 To enable the forward end of the curtainto move down to a parallel location to the rear end, the guide rods areformed with a downwardly convex shape and are provided with bends whichengage locking hooks on the frame to thereby lock the curtain in thedownward position.

As it is not necessary to disengage or unlock the curtain in order tomove it to its lower or rear position, as is required in theconventional machine, the time spent in retrieving a pin issubstantially reduced.

As a further advantage, the device of the invention provides greateraccess for the operator to retrieve pins and increases the visibility tothe alley. In the conventional machine in which the curtain is liftedand locked in a raised position, the operator must bend down and leanbeneath the raised curtain to retrieve the pin. Not only is therelimited access beneath the curtain but visibility is greatly restricted.However, with the present invention the forward or upward end of thecurtain is pulled downwardly and to the rear so that the operator canreach over the curtain, thus providing greater visibility and access tothe alley.

In the past, the unlocking and raising of the curtain in theconventional pin setting machine frequently triggered the pin settingmechanism with the result that the operator would have to back out ofthe way until the pin setting cycle was completed. With the presentinvention the curtain is merely pulled down and no disengagement isnecessary, making it virtually impossible to accidentally trigger thepin setting mechanism.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the followingdescription.

The drawings illustrate the best mode presently contemplated of carryingout the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the frame of aconventional automatic pin setting machine incorporating the invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section showing the curtainoperating mechanismwith the curtain being in the normal operating position;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the curtain in the lowered orpin-retrieving position; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the curtain and operatingmechanism.

The drawings illustrate a bowling alley 1 having a gutter 2 along eachside edge. The alley 1 and gutters 2 terminate in a pit 3 and a pair ofkickbacks 4 are located along the sides of the pit 3 and carry orsupport the frame 5 of the pin setting mechanism. The frame 5 is ofconventional construction and in itself forms no part of the invention.For purposes of clarity in the drawings, only a portion of the frame isshown.

A trigger board or pit cushion 6 is located transversely across the pit3 at a location slightly above the bottom surface of the pit. Pitcushion 6 is supported by a pair of support arms 7 which extend upwardlyand are connected to triangular plates 8. Plates 8 are connected bystraps 9 to a cross beam 10 of frame 5 which extends transversely acrossthe pit.

Frame 5 also includes a pair of vertical beams 11 which are secured tocross beam 10 and a horizontal arm 12 connects the lower end of eachvertical beam 11 and the respective support arm 7.

According to the invention a heavy curtain 13 made of rubber, plastic,leather or the like, extends upwardly and forwardly from the cushion 6and serves to deflect any pins propelled by the bowling ball downwardlyinto the pit. The lower or rear end of curtain 13 is secured to agenerally horizontal rod 14 and studs 15 extend outwardly from the endsof the rod 14 and are secured within suitable openings in the supportarms 7. Similarly, the

forward end of the curtain 13 is secured around a horizontal rod 16, andthe ends of rod 16 are connected to generally curved guide rods 17 whichextend longitudinally of the alley along the sides of the frame 5. Asshown in FIG. 4, the ends of the guide rods 17 extend through openingsin the forward rod 16 and are engaged by nuts 18.

Each of the guide rods 17 is guided for movement within an opening 19 ina guide bracket 20 which extends laterally inward from each horizontalarm 12 of frame 5. The outer portion of each of the guide rods 17 isformed with a bend 21 and the end of the rod is bent downwardly asindicated by 22.

The guid rods 17 which support the upper or forward end of the curtain13 are urged forwardly by coil springs 23. The rear end of each spring23 carries a hook 24 which is engaged with the end 22 of the respectiveguide rod 17, while the outer or forward end of each spring 23 carries ahook 25 which is engaged with vertical frame member 26. With thisarrangement the springs 23 act to move the rods 17 forwardly and therebyserve as a counterbalancing force against the weight of the curtain13/The engagement of the guide rods 17 with the openings 19 in guidebrackets 20 provides a certain degree of fricitional resistance which,in combination with the counterbalancing effect of the springs 23,serves to maintain the curtain in any desired position.

During normal operation of the pin setting machine, the curtain is inthe position shown in FIG. 2 and extends upwardly and forwardly from thecushion 6. As previously mentioned, the curtain will be held in thisposition by the counterbalancing force of the spring 23 and thefrictional engagement of the rods 17 within the openings in guidebrackets 20.

'Inthe event the operator wishes to reach through the pin settingmachine to retrieve a pin, he merely grasps the forward rod 16 and pullsthe curtain 13 downwardly and rearwardly. The downwardly convexcurvature of rods 17 enables the forward rod 16 to be moved to aposition where the rod 16 is adjacent and parallel to the rod 14, asshown in FIG. 3. The curtain will be maintained at any position due tothe counterbalancing effect of the springs 23.

To lock the curtain 13 in the downward position, the bends 21 in therods 17 engage wire hooks 27 attached to the brackets 19 to provide africtional locking engagement.

Due to the counterbalancing effect, the curtain can be raised andlowered with very little force. Moreover, it is not necessary todisengage any locking mechanism to raise or lower the curtain, for thecurtain can be moved by merely pulling downwardly or pushing upwardly onthe forward rod 16. This greatly simplifies the operation of moving thecurtain to a position where access can be had to the alley and thereforegreatly speeds up the time required to retrieve a pin from the alley orgutter.

The mechanism of the invention also provides greater access andvisibility to the alley and gutter. As the forward end of the curtain ispulled downwardly to a position adjacent the lower end, as shown in FIG.3, the operator can merely lean over the curtain to retrieve a pin. Thisdiffers from the conventional curtain structure in which the operator isrequired to bend underneath the lifted curtain when attempting toretrieve a pin.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as beingwithin the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out anddistinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as theinvention.

I claim:

1. In a bowling apparatus, comprising an alley, a pit located at therear of the alley, a frame mounted above the pit, a cushion carried bythe frame and extending transversely of the pit and positioned to beengaged by a bowling ball, a curtain carried by the frame and having oneend fixed to the frame and located adjacent the cushion and having theopposite end disposed forwardly and upwardly of said cushion, movablesupport means connected to said opposite end of the curtain, andcounterbalancing means connected to the opposite end of the curtain forcounterbalancing the weight of the curtain, said opposite end beingmovable from a first pin deflecting position, whereat said opposite endis a substantial'distance from said first end, to a second positionwhereat said opposite end is located generally parallel and adjacent tosaid first end. i

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said movable support meanscomprises a guide rod with the inner end of said guide rod beingconnected to said opposite end of the curtain, and guide means connectedto the frame for supporting the rod in movement.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which said counterbalancing means isconnected to the outer end of the guide rod.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 in which said counterbalancing means is aresilient member.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the guide rod extends generallylongitudinally of the alley and at least a portion of the guide rod hasa downwardly convex contour.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 and including means connected to the guiderod for locking the guide rod with respect to the frame.

7. In a bowling apparatus, an alley, a pit located at the rear of thealley, a frame mounted above the pit, a cushion carried by the frame andextending transversely of the pit in a position to be engaged by abowling ball, a flexible curtain having a first end fixed to the frameand located adjacent the cushion and having a second end disposedforwardly and upwardly of said cushion, a plurality of guide membersextending longitudinally of the alley and connected to said second endof the curtain, guide means carried by the frame for mounting said guidemembers for movement relative to the frameand longitudinally of thealley, and counterbalancing means connected to said guide members forcounterbalancing the weight of said second end of the curtain.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, and including a first support memberextending transversely of the pit and secured to said first end of thecurtain and a second support member extending transversely of the pitand attached to the second end of the curtain, said guide members beingconnected to said second support member, said second support memberbeing movable from a first position, whereat said second support memberis located a substantial distance from said first support member, to asecond position whereat said second support member is located paralleland adjacent to said first support member.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, in which at least one of said guide membersis provided with an abutment and said apparatus includes means connectedto the frame and engageable with said abutment to lock the guide memberat a given position.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, in which the counterbalancing meanscomprises a coil spring connected between the frame and the guidemembers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,803,462 8/1957 Zuercher 2735 3X 3,001,792 9/1961 Sherman 273-53 3,019,021 1/1962 Baker 273-53 ANTON O.OECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

M. R. PAGE, Assistant Examiner.

7. IN A BOWLING APPARATUS, AN ALLEY, A PIT LOCATED AT THE REAR OF THEALLEY, A FRAME MOUNTED ABOVE THE PIT, A CUSHION CARRIED BY THE FRAME ANDEXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE PIT IN A POSITION TO BE ENGAGED BY ABOWLING BALL, A FLEXIBLE CURTAIN HAVING A FIRST END FIXED TO THE FRAMEAND LOCATED ADJACENT THE CUSHION AND HAVING A SECOND END DISPOSEDFORWARDLY AND UPWARDLY OF SAID CUSHION, A PLURALITY OF GUIDE MEMBERSEXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE ALLEY AND CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND ENDOF THE CURTAIN, GUIDE MEANS CARRIED BY THE FRAME FOR MOUNTING SAID GUIDEMEMBERS FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE FRAME AND LONGITUDINALLY OF THEALLEY, AND COUNTERBALANCING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID GUIDE MEMBERS FORCOUNTERBALANCING THE WEIGHT OF SAID SECOND END OF THE CURTAIN.